Cta Restarts Loop Service

February 08, 2000|By Rick Hepp, Tribune Staff Writer.

Elevated train service in the Loop returned to normal this afternoon after Chicago Transit Authority tests revealed the Quincy Street "L" station sustained no structural problems when a broken water main flooded nearby streets Monday.

"Trains will be running throughout the entire Loop," CTA President Frank Kruesi said during a news conference. "That includes Purple Line service as well as the normal routing for the Brown Line and the Orange Line, which had been diverted."

Trains will not stop at the "L" station, located at Quincy and Wells Streets, until city crews finish work on the sinkhole near the station's structural footers. The 6-foot hole was formed shortly after a water main on Wells Street ruptured, gushing thousands of gallons of water under the street and onto the pavement.

"We want to make sure we're not endangering our customers or impeding the work being done here," Kruesi said. Wells Street remained closed to vehicular traffic between Monroe Street and Jackson Boulevard, while Quincy Street is blocked between LaSalle and Franklin Streets.

Kruesi said a battery of tests using a diesel-powered locomotive, normally used to clear snow and weighing about 100,000 pounds, revealed "virtually no movement at all" by the 104-year-old "L" station.

Richard Rice, the city's water commissioner, said the water main, which broke about 8 a.m. Monday, was replaced and crews were flushing the new main and testing the water for chlorine residuals before putting it back online.

Preliminary tests on the 100-year-old broken water main, conducted by an outside consulting firm, have ruled out pipe corrosion and leaky coupling joints as possible reasons for the pipe bursting, Rice said. Results of more intricate tests are expected in one to two weeks.

The street is expected to be completely repaired by Monday morning rush hour, according to Rich Kinczyk, first deputy commissioner at Chicago's Department of Transportation.

Once the testing on the replace water main is completed, city workers will install a cement electrical equipment vault over the main. On Thursday and Friday, workers will repair the damaged pavement. The pavement takes 24 hours to dry once it is poured.

This morning's rush hour appeared to go surprisingly well, although there were some service delays on most of the rail lines as riders adjusted their normal routines.

"Platforms were more crowded than usual this morning, especially at the major transfer stations like Clark/Lake and the Merchandise Mart," said CTA spokeswoman Deanna Zalas.